Pact with the Devil

In, say, Haiti, violence stems largely from criminal activity. In Somalia violence might be justified as an extreme manifestation of clan loyalty. Violence can be perpetrated by those who consider themselves “good patriots”; sadly it is also perpetrated by those who consider themselves “good Muslims”. There is a danger that the UN promotion of peace building is conceived as “Western” “Christian” or “anti-Muslim”. I suggest that there is a pattern to sectarian, clan, or revolutionary violence, that, as in the case of the IRA in Ireland and Pol Pot and many other examples, it degenerates into simple criminality after about 8 years, using the original cause as a flag of convenience. It is at this point that the majority of the population are so sickened that they wish for peace at any price. The story of the Queen of Sheba’s response to King Solomon is a marvellous example of this. (As Muslims will know better than me, this is a story from the Koran where she proposes capitulation as superior to the horror of war. It is an example of the wisdom of women over the arrogance of men) Somehow I must piggy-back on this anti-violence reaction to engender a community level, possibly women-lead, popular anti-violence ground-swell. This is my central task. But the intransigent clan system will not help. Power-sharing is working, to a degree, in Nepal with the admittance of the rebel Maoists to government. Power-sharing has worked in Ireland with the Good Friday agreement.

There is a diabolical technique that could be used to speed this revulsion from violence: If possible, forces of law and order can deny “hard” targets (police stations, military barracks, and government offices) to the gangs, militias or terrorists. They are then obliged to attack “soft” targets (market places, meetings, religious centres). The atrocities caused will hasten popular revulsion to, and increasing criminalisation of the so-called “freedom fighters”. This makes combatting them easier. But this is a pact with the devil.

Somalia Newsletter No 1.

Bill Brookman has been invited to advance the peace agenda in Somalia by the United Nations Development Project (UNDP). He will train, and possibly lead, a team of Somalis who will organise cultural events, form pro-peace groups, educate, support and advance the wishes of beleaguered and decent Somalis who wish to see Somalia restored to stability.
The situation in Somalia is unstable and, it appears, worsening; and the capital Mogadishu is unsafe. Consequently Bill Brookman’s exact brief is fluid at present. The UNDP HQ in Hargeisa, (sometimes spelt Hargeysa) northern Somalia was bombed in October 2008 and two staff were killed. As a result UNDP staff there are restricted to two personnel but the town is now regarded as safe. Bill will join this staff and train the national team there.
This team has yet to be recruited and will be part of a national non-government organisation (NGO) which will then operate in Mogadishu .
This project will be a challenge to Bill compared to his previous similar project in Haiti. His brief then was to recruit and lead a Haitian NGO, Caravane de la Paix, which successfully operated within the capital Port-au-Prince’s five notorious slums closed to UN staff. In these slums the teams negotiated directly with the gang leaders. The situation in Mogadishu is worse with the whole city a no-go area. Culturally the project is challenging. Somali culture is predominantly poetry. Visual representation can inflame Muslim fundamentalism. Solutions have to be found. Inspite of this, street events, football championships, music, art, photography, public meetings, posters, bill-boards, radio, television, school visits, the strengthening of local peace and cultural groups and, of course, poetry will need to be considered. Bill will also use the methodology developed in his recent project writing a manual enabling children affected by armed forces and groups, so-called “child soldiers”, to resist recruitment and successfully rehabilitate.. This was commissioned by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2008.
The plan is for Bill to spend 2 to 3 weeks in Hargeisa in July 2009, and then return there in the autumn spending a total of about 3 months in the region. The UN does not have a mission in Somalia but 16 UN agencies, projects and programmes comprise the UN in Somalia, many operating from Nairobi, Kenya. Bill may work there though this is 2,000 miles from northern Somalia.
Bill will be supported by Bill Brookman Projects, comprising administrative and technological assistance from Bill Brookman Productions Ltd.; The Bill Brookman Foundation which will assist with logistics, public information, research, financial monitoring and security; and the Young Foundation Group, young people who will monitor and learn from the project as well as disseminate information.
Bill Brookman Productions has recruited extra staff to remain operational and of course the splendid team of staff, free-lancers, young people and volunteers will make sure we continue our efforts unabated. We hope we will not lessen our commitment to Extended Schools, the UK government initiative promoting accessibility and arts in schools.
The latest plans can be found by clicking on the Bill Brookman Foundation website www.billbrookman.co.uk/foundation > Present Projects > Somalia.